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NEWSLETTER FOR MONTAGUE FARM ZEN HOUSE
MAY 27, 2010

Service with Dignity, Service with Love

We also serve as a training site for those who want to work in or create zen houses internationally.


Photos by Cynthia Rodrick


Montague Farm Café

Fine Food, Music, Games and Puppetry

Café Momentos

Next Meal: Sat June 19, 12-3pm


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COMING SOON

DAILY ZEN MEDITATION


DVD'S OF ALL THE AUGUST 2010 SYMPOSIUM FOR WESTERN SOCIALLY ENGAGED BUDDHISM PRESENTATIONS



ZEN HOUSES

   Montague Farm Zen House
   Appalachia: 1st House
   Haley House: Intern Site
   Greyston: Model
   Residence Program


Our Vision

Future Offerings of the Montague Farm Zen House

We continue to research and develop a Montague Farm Zen House business -a way for people to secure dignified work in our area. We are exploring a wellness enterprise and have been talking to physicians and community health providers. Are you interested in learning more or offering skills to this exciting part of our work? Let us know.


We deeply appreciate the previous and current support of

      Foundations:
A&A Hixon Fund, Hemera Foundation, Lenz Foundation
      Businesses:
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Big Y, Cynthia Roderick Photography, Diemand Farm, Enterprise Farm, Green Fields Market, Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange, Greyston Bakery, Pierce Bros. Coffee, Richard Smith, Inc., Smiarowski Farm, Staples, Stonyfield Yogurt, Stop and Shop, Target, UMass-Amherst, Whole Foods Market
      Individual Major Donors (over $25,000):
Chuck Blitz, Shaykha Fariha al Jerrahi, Hydar Friedrich, William Greenberg, Sheila Hixon, Eve Marko, Mark Mininberg, Kathryn Pon, Geoff Taylor

       and the many individuals who have donated time, money and supplies.

karen

May 27, 2010

Dear Friends,

Our second Montague Farm Café on May 15th was full of life. Over 90 people attended, enjoying good food as well as entertainment, puppetry and kite-making, all-age improv games, and alpacas. At each Café, we put out a “stone soup” pot where everyone can contribute to the Café, whether offering money, poems, drawings, or special found objects –all of which we display at the following gathering. Imagine my delight when I pulled out this note:

“Thank you for not making us feel needy. Sometimes help is very welcomed, but sometimes when you make a person feel needy it isn’t welcomed. Thank you.”

feeding_alpaca

kid_puppetr

We were moved to see that one of our core intentions, to create a space where we serve each other with dignity and love, had been realized so quickly. We know intuitively that dignified and loving communities heal, and public health data corroborates this. Plus, having access to good and healthy food (much of it coming right from our organic garden) is crucial for many people. Beginning June 19th, we will be adding free health and wellness resources, including physician services, pastoral counseling, and mindfulness-based stress reduction sessions.

I hope you can be part of this marvelous offering we are cooking up at the Café, which goes weekly starting June 19th. Join us!

Warmly,
Karen Kisui Werner
Montague Farm Zen House Director

To sign up to be a volunteer for the Café, please go to our easy-to-use wiki page or contact us by email or phone: 413-367-5276.

WHY ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE MONTAGUE FARM CAFÉ?
Liz Rivera
liz_rivera

“I like the people –I like how friendly you guys are. I’m a people person; I like to find out who people are, what they do. Plus, the food and all things you do, like the games. I liked the snake and the alpacas –the animals are the best. I had a really nice time. It felt like family, homey. That homey feeling is needed, because the world is very cold. I like to feel genuine love and happiness. That feeling of connection feels good. Not much else out there! And, meditation is so interesting. I am interested in how to meditate. Give us an open house, a preview on meditation!”

Liz takes care of her daughter and her home in Orange, MA, and is a big fan of organizations like Valuing Our Children, which has offered her parenting support. She also loves karaoke. Liz is a member of Orange’s Disability Council.

David Mager
david_mager_barbeque

“I went on a street retreat in Springfield with Bernie, a remarkable experience. One place we went to for a meal was fantastic, full of Gospel music and prayer, and the founder said that they had to close their soup kitchen that day. So, we said, why don’t we start one? Now, a few years later that’s what we are doing! I love cooking for anybody, so it’s great.

Since we are not urban center, homelessness isn’t as visible, but a lot of people have a hard time, just more dispersed. The Montague Farm Café is really transformative -not just a meal where you check your dignity at the door, but you become part of the community. There are kids playing everywhere; you can’t tell who is who! You have conversations with everybody. We see a manifestation of a need and we are filling that need wonderfully.

I’ve been trying to organize local men’s groups to each claim a weekend of the Café. We had men from three different men’s groups here on May 15th (with memorable names: Amen Spiritual Warrior, Jerk Nation, and River of Fire), and they were so blown away. I felt so honored to be a participant. The Cafe is delivered with dignity and is lots of fun.”

David has lived in the area for 30 years. He was an organizer of the first Earth Day, helps corporations and companies “go green” and is currently writing a book on social entrepreneurship.

Greenfield Farmers Co-operative Exchange
greenfield_farmers_coop.jpg

The Greenfield Farmers Co-op Exchange, owned by over 500 farmers in our area, made a generous contribution in support of our Café –they donated chicken wire fencing and cedar posts for our organic garden, helping to protect our vegetables from resident groundhogs and rabbits.

Jeff Budine, manager of the Greenfield Farmers Co-op, explained that they chose to support the Montague Farm Café because of our efforts to feed people. “This is a farmers co-op, owned by farmers. So we are sharing some of our resources to feed more people. Also, I think it’s awesome that you are teaching people about growing food. People forget where food comes from.”

Karena Longo and the staff of
Women, Infants, And Children (WIC)
wicKarena Longo (second from right) and other WIC staff

Karena Longo, Senior Nutritionist at the local WIC office in Greenfield, along with the rest of the WIC staff, has assisted the Montague Farm Zen House in connecting with families that would enjoy and benefit from the Montague Farm Café. WIC is a federally funded USDA program for low-income families, offering access to healthy food and nutritional support. Last year, 9.3 million people, about half of them children, were enrolled in WIC nationally.

Karena explains why the Café is a good fit for WIC: “The Montague Farm Café goes along with our mission of encouraging healthy food and a family environment. We have participants who didn’t grow up in a family environment, and we like to make that available. With the fresh veggies, it’s a nice meal -tasteful and healthy. You show that healthy food can be tasty! The chicken last time was just wonderful. Some WIC participants wouldn’t know how to cook that. WIC did a statewide survey and 50% families on WIC don’t know how to cook. They are the microwave generation, and there are so many other stresses in life that cooking feels daunting and unfamiliar.

Plus, you have activities, for kids. You show that physical activity is about being out and about. I love the kite-making. I don’t see that kind of thing at other meals. The Café is healthy –including prevention of obesity and diabetes, and it brings people back to basic and non-processed foods.”

Community Meals in Orange

Our meals continue in the nearby town of Orange, MA, and a number of the regular Orange meal attendees have started joining us at the Montague Farm Café. It has been a pleasure to develop these relationships and be able to bring people to the farm. We are now organizing our June 17th meal in Orange –please be in touch with us (by email or phone: 413-367-5276) or sign up directly on our wiki to take part in that upcoming meal. Financial donations as well as farm and CSA surplus are always welcome to support the Orange meals and the Montague Farm Café.